


Three Houses. One Fairy.

by RuminantRambling



Series: Lily Joins the Golden Deer [1]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Bad Humor, Bernadetta Von Varley - Freeform, Drunkenness, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Spoilers, Flower sex, Fluff, Gen, Golden Deer Students - Freeform, I'm Bad At Tagging, Ignatz Victor - Freeform, Leave Glenn out of this, Lorenz Hellman Gloucester - Freeform, No Beta, Poisoning, Raphael Christian, Silly, no real bees, pollenation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-08
Updated: 2020-02-22
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:55:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22611376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RuminantRambling/pseuds/RuminantRambling
Summary: reading too many fics throwing my hat into the ring, hoping it won't cut my head off when they throw it back.
Series: Lily Joins the Golden Deer [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1626940
Kudos: 4





	1. Starting before the start of school

Lily skipped across the courtyard. Bored bored bored. BORED. School is never going to start! She doesn’t know why she would be excited about that because it will be boring being stuck inside and being lectured at but at least someone will be here to be bored with her. She had been running around all over the monastery looking for something to do and someone to play with. Many people were friendly, often the big people would smile or wave, but they were all so busy working. Seteth gave her a list of things to do and complete before classes would begin, but that was boring. Besides, she did it all in one day and then had nothing else to do. At least Alois would stop and tell her a joke or some long-winded story about when he was little and was curious about the world.

After completing 4 cartwheels in a row on the grass outside the classrooms, Lily shook her head to get rid of the dizziness. She saw 3 people heading to the classroom of the Golden Deer. Woot! Skipping over to them, Lily shouted, a bit out of breath, “Agnes! Hi! Introduce me!”

Agnes, a Cleric of Seiros - today’s tour guide, chuckled softly and raised her right hand to direct the attention of the two young men that were facing her to turn around and meet the newcomer to the group. “Lily, this is Ignatz and Raphael. They will both be joining you in the Golden Deer Classroom.” The boys had turned around to face the proper direction, maneuvering hands to start their bow to greet the fellow student. Ignatz thought he was greeting empty air until as he bent forward, finally his gaze went lower and he saw the tiniest girl finishing her curtsey standing straight in front of him. Her smile was as wide as her face and her golden eyes sparkled as she laughed.

“I am very pleased to meet you. I would be happy to help you in any way possible.” Lily chimes. She was a ball of enthusiasm, jumping up and down and shaking her tiny fists in front of her like she was going to explode with happiness.

“Well, I thought my sister was small, but you are an itty-bitty thing. “Laughed Raphael. “I could almost fit you in the palm of my hand.”

Agnes grins, “I think Lily is the tiniest student we’ve ever had. She certainly makes up for it with her enthusiasm. Lily, we should be done with the tour by 11:30 if you want to meet them in the dining hall.”

“Awesome! See you then!” Lily giggled before she ran off toward the stables.

This week she was to clean the stables. This wasn’t too difficult, especially if she could talk a few of the horses into helping her. The mares were much easier to convince to help than the stallions. Boys were always full of themselves, human or horse. Lily sang to the horse as it slowly ambles about the stall while she picks out the “ _blessings”_ from the hay. Mother Earth had an abundance of blessings from these horses. They ate well and blessed plentifully. The tiny lady moved the wheelbarrow out of the way of the door of the stall she was working in order to get the water buckets cleaned and changed. She recalled a few days ago someone had walked in while she was pushing it from behind. They didn’t see her, screamed, “Ghost!”, then ran for the front gate. She never saw who it was, she couldn’t see over the back of the box when she had it lifted off its pegs and started to roll it out the stable door. I guess the stable is now haunted she mused. One more tidbit to share with the new students, its their fault for showing up so late.

The tiny miss quickly cleans herself up, putting on a clean gray tunic, leggings, and skull cap pulled well down over her ears. She had learned the hard way to clean up properly after getting a harsh chastising about showing up in the dining hall smelling like horse droppings. She swore that sometimes they used horse droppings in the food because it smelled pretty foul. Most of the time it was tasteless. Too much salt, no spices, no greens. She scrambled up the stairs to the dining hall entrance. Today was fish of some sort. No surprises there, the mysterious fishing pond was just outside the door. Ignatz and Raphael were already in line for food, so she fell in line several spots back. After getting her tray of food she went straight to their table put her tray up then scrambles onto the bench. She sat on her knees so she was more able to meet the boys eye to eye.

“What is your goal? What are you hoping to become here?” Lily asked with the most welcoming of smiles.

“I’m gonna be a knight so I can take care of my little sister.” Raphael manages to get out between bites of fish and bread. “I’m going to train hard and get super strong! Can’t be a knight without strength.” Raphael curled his arm, flexing his budding muscles.

Lily looked toward Ignatz, who looks from his friend to meet her gaze and then shyly gazes at his plate. “I, um, I want to be a knight as per my father’s wishes.”

“Well, I,” Lilly announces as she slaps her chest valiantly, “Will learn to become the greatest general of all time.” She finishes with a flourish, blocking her vision with her left forearm while sticking her right arm out straight and fingers all pointing that direction. “Maybe Raphael can carry a pedestal for me to stand on so that they can see me beyond the soldiers in the first row.” They all chuckle together.

\----------<+>\--------

“Eeep!” shrieks the girl with hair the color of violets in the spring as she flails and then covers her head. Lily was surprised by the cry and grabs the girl around her knees. “I didn’t do it!” she wails in her tiny high-pitched voice. “Don’t let it eat me!” She clung to the girl in the middle of the stairs leading up toward the kitchen and dining area.

Bernadetta looks down between her fingers to see a very small person clinging to her legs for dear life. Was that what thought she saw coming at her as she was sneaking out of her room? It was getting difficult to see as the last bit of sunlight was on the horizon. Bernie could only make out sparkling golden eyes tinged with fear. She heard a little squeak sounding like “save _me?”…_ as Bernie shuffles back towards her room.

Back safely within the confines of her haven, Bernie realizes that she was not the only one leaning up against her door trying to keep out the creatures of the night that must be skulking around the monastery grounds after emerging from their hiding places. “Wh-wh-who are you?” the taller girl whispers tremulously.

A tiny hand shot straight up at her, offering a handshake. “I’m Lily. Thank you for saving me out there.” A little girl dressed all in grey with a skull cap pulled over her round head was staring up at Bernie. “You are so brave! I could have been eaten by a grue, or a wolf, or a snake, or something with sharp pointy teeth.” She gasps, pushing on the door a bit harder to make sure it would not burst open and reveal pointy teeth.

Bernie cautiously shook the hand softly with two shakes as she caught her breath. “First off, Bernie is not brave! Bernie is terrified. Ooooh why did I have to come here?” she whines. Her stomach decides to join in on the conversation with a whine of its own.

“I bet you were going to get food when we were attacked. We can’t let you die of starvation in here.” Lily bravely stood up to her full height of 39 inches and briefly looks the taller girl in the eyes. “ She glances around the room and saw a bow and quiver. Lily grabs an arrow and makes stabby motions. “I bet if we gang up we can fight them off until we make it to the kitchen.”

Bernie stood there with her mouth open. She watches the tiny waif shove a chair under the window then scamper up on it to peek through the curtain. Bernie moves behind her to look as well.

Lily climbs down. “Arm yourself,” she orders. “Mission kitchen acquisition is about to commence.”  
Bernie muddles around and settles on grabbing a dagger she had stashed away at the foot of her bed. She turns around to see the girl pull her head back inside the door. “It’s clear, let’s move out.” She whispers as she slips out the door.

Bernie approached the door, it was still open but only a little. Lily crouches down, her arrow held like a lance as if she was ready to run through a tiny dragon. Bernie hesitates. She didn’t want to leave the safety of her room, but a stab in her stomach reminds her that it had been quite a while since it had been fed. She crouched low, following the tiny warrior that looked like she could do some damage to a kneecap or two, possibly allowing them to escape the clutches of a nefarious foe. They arrive at the kitchen and slam the door behind them. Gasping for air, mostly because she had been holding her breath, Bernadetta shook her head as Lily was jumping up and down claiming victory over the creatures of the night.

Candles lit, the kitchen was suddenly a bustle with activity. Bernie loves cooking. Scrambled eggs, toasted bread, butter and honey. A few fruits and vegetables were gathered and Lily put them in her backpack to take back to Bernie’s room so she would have something to snack on. Somehow a smaller jar of jam and extra rolls also made their way in.

“Food is ready!” Bernie beams. She leans on the table and grabs a pewter spoon. “Dig in!”

Scrambling up to sit on top of the table, Lily pulls a small cloth out of her pocket, unrolling it to retrieve her wooden spoon. She dug into the warm fluffy eggs. Just done enough to be bouncy, not so bouncy to be like hard like aspic.

“Needs salt.” The taller girl went over to the stove and grabs a shaker. “Want some?” she offered, hovering over Lily’s plate.

Tiny hands shield her eggs as she feverishly shook her head no. “Uh, they are perfect like this.” Lily mumbles, looking intensely at her eggs, trying to hide how wide her eyes had become.

“Its fine.” Bernie dusts her eggs and stirs them about. “Wha’?” she gasps as tiny fingers were flittering about the plate picking up all of the bits that missed and fell onto the table.

“We, uh, don’t want them to know we were here, right? If we leave a mess, they may lock us out. “ Lily frets.

The intruders ate their fill. Lily had four pieces of toasted bread thick with creamy butter and dripping with honey. Her stomach felt warm inside, she noticed she felt a bit giddy. Happily humming, she works on cleaning the kitchen, leaving no trace of their evening adventure. As a matter of fact, the kitchen appears quite a bit cleaner than when they arrived.

“Slow down!” Bernie exclaims through sleepy eyes. “You are making me tired just watching you go from cabinet to sink to table to everywhere.”

It didn’t take much for Lily to get Bernie back to her room. A full stomach was working on her companion, the tummy wanting to quietly digest in a safe place. Bernie didn’t remember to be afraid, especially as Lily softly sang a tune for her as they made it back to the room. A heavy purple haired head softly sank into a pillow and the only sound the girl could manage was long soft breathing as she fell into a deep sleep.

Lily quietly places the pilfered food on the table knowing Bernie would not starve for a day or so if she was unable to escape her room again. She had watched the frightened girl for a few days since her arrival at the school. Locking herself in her room all the time was a strange habit Lily had not observed in others before. This girl only left her sanctuary when she was quite alone. Perhaps things would get better when classes start next week, she muses. She was going to have to make sure that Bernadetta did not waste away by then. Lily had been frowning, but now with that job done, it was time to see what else is going on. Silently closing the door behind her, the pint-sized creature slips along the shadows of the dormitory.

\----------<+>\--------

Lily bypasses the front door of the greenhouse, sliding along the side until she reaches the vines growing into the open window that serve as a vent. Climbing the vines, she peeks in the greenhouse. Seeing and hearing no others, she climbs a nearby tree branch over toward the trunk and scrambles down the tree. This was her favorite part of the monastery. The garden was so much like her home. Humid, earthy, and full of life. The smell made her feel like Mother Earth was hugging her warmly and surrounding her with love. Dancing and spinning around the trees, she embraces each leaf, frond, and flower with kindness and adoration.

Tiptoeing over to the area where the students were permitted to grow their own seeds, she inspects their work. These were Western Fodlan seeds planted by Dedue. His soil and fertilizer are perfect, seed depth looks about right. Leonie has a patch nearby with root vegetables planted. The spacing is a bit close, so Lily had to remedy that. Annette planted some flower seeds, they could use a bit of scoring to let them emerge out of their husks properly. Lily then plants 4 seeds of her own. After all of the newly planted seeds were inspected, Lily retrieves a basket full of fresh compost outside the side door of the greenhouse. Working it into the soil around the seeds, she knew they would appreciate the delicious food. She gives the ones that need it a quick shower of water.

Hands on her hips, Lily nodsin approval of her work. Now for the magic. She took off her gray cap freeing her small pointed ears from being squashed against her head and tucked under her hair. Pulling precisely set porcupine quills, the elvish maid loosens her braid that had circled her head like a tight halo. It unfurls toward the ground. The braid closest to her head was almost as big around as her arm. It made her chuckle because it was just a bit thicker than Raphael’s thumb. She caught a bit of her reflection in the glass of the greenhouse. Her eyes were a bit oversized when she opens them wide, and that was done as little as possible so she could fit in. Her perky narrow nose ends with a tiny point. Her lips were very flat and thin, nestled between two deep dimples on each cheek. She knew her mouth was smaller than many humans because she had difficulty using their spoons when eating. Her cheek bones stood out strong and high like her mothers. And her chin was soft and round. When she had her braid wrapped around her, she felt like her head was a giant melon perched on her neck. Now her look was becoming more natural and finally free.

She pulls the far end of the braid up from brushing against the ground so that she could set her hair free. Untying the knotted silk ribbon at the bottom, she ran her fingers through the plaits, her hair sprang loose and feral. Curling tresses surround her making a rippled yellow-green cape filled with curls and ringlets going to and fro covering her entire body. A satisfied sigh escaped her lips. Only the toes of her soft leather shoes stuck out beneath her soft mantle. Sticking her arm sticking out looks funny like it was reaching through a mysterious veil. Lily hates hiding behind the forlorn waif persona, dull, gray, and dingy. It was so hard holding herself in. Humans fear everything different. They could not tolerate someone of a different race whatsoever! They had proven to Lily time and time again they would not condone subtle differences in their own race. If you spoke a bit differently, you were thought to be obtuse. An accent on your tongue earns you a wide berth, higher prices, weapons in your face, and zero opportunities. Earlier today in the dining area, she had overheard whispers as the beautiful lady from Brigid walked past. The local girls ridiculed the visitor saying she could not speak properly, she wore her hair wrong, she did not have the proper gait to her walk. Lily knew so much more, their target walked in the manner of Brigid royalty, spoke three different languages, possibly more, and could kill each of her persecutors in a variety of ways that exceeded what they could count on their fingers and toes all added together between them.

Enough. Lily was herself. She bent her head forward, breathing deeply and concentrating. Steepling her hands, fingertips barely touching, she begins to sing in an ancient language not heard here in a very, very long time. As she sang, a soft green light emerges from her fingertips. Slowly she separates her hands, hovering over the ground where the unsuspecting seeds slept. Wiggling her fingers, the light sprinkles down onto the newly planted ground like raindrops. Once all of the other students’ plants had been nourished, she concentrates on the seeds she had planted.

Her voice became a bit louder, the words flowing forth at a faster pace, the tune rose a higher pitch. She sways with the music, then begins dancing around the lucky seeds. Four green tendrils reached up, breaking through the soft, moist earth. As she sways and twirls, lost within her song, so did the vines grow, twist and twirl. They reach up and over crossing each other, following the vine they met back to their rooted source then back up again. The vines wove up and down, embracing and intertwining around each other, turning and growing across from each other to meet the next vine, eventually weaving themselves back and forth, to and fro solidifying the creation. Lily twirls around the joined vines as they lengthen and thicken, intertwining between themselves then all joining each other to one side of the structure. The song and hand movements reach to this side alone, building a small vertical line up for a short while, turning to go across and then back down to the side of the structure. The vines plait themselves going back down to the main structure. They grow up and down and ‘round themselves until finally it was complete. The sweet song finally came to an end as she embraces her creation. She then fell prostrate to the soft soil, thanking Mother Earth for her love and gifts. Lily gently tugs and pulls her finished project up by the roots. She broke the roots off, took a rough stone and sands the bottoms of the four legs. She then places the chair on the walkway of the greenhouse. A perfect fit! Lily carries the chair out the side door of the greenhouse, tossing the root remnants into the first compost pile. She keeps walking past the bins of manures, sand, freshly pulled weeds, and wild vines to where she resides. A huge mushroom serves as the roof of her “house”, while vines that were grown in the same fashion made up the walls. Lily opens her tiny door and places the chair inside and under the small table. A fitting end to a productive day she thought to herself. Oops, she forgot something. She ran back to the greenhouse to retrieve her cap and ribbon. She closes the door and ties it shut with the ribbon. Lying down on her soft bed of moss and snuggling under a blanket of her own loose hair, Lily slept peacefully until the first red and golden fingers of dawn crept across the sky.

\----------<+>\--------


	2. Lily and Lorenz

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tea time is not as lovely as it can be when Lorenz is involved.

Lorenz Hellman Gloucester has the self-declared patience of a saint. He has tolerated numerous antics of his classmates, let their peasant minded failings slide with only a raise of an eyebrow however, this cannot be tolerated! To hear such a horrid discordant din at tea time! Outrageous! Blasphemy!

The tall lavender haired student marched over to the table occupied by Raphael and Lily. Lily poured some of her very hot tea into her saucer and was blowing on it, then slurping down the tea very loudly. Lorenz could not believe the unholy sight! An abomination! It took all of his restraint not to backhand the saucer from her tiny evil fingers.

“STOP THAT.” he grits through his teeth. “The Goddess have mercy on your soul. Who taught you this unholy activity? I cannot permit this, this, this…THIS!” he gasps has he waves his hand at the tea Lily and Raphael were having.

“What’s the matter?” the blond hulk of a man looks bewilderedly up at Lorenz.

“Sorry, I forgot!” apologizes Lily as she exaggeratedly sticks out her pinky fingers on both hands holding the saucer and loudly resumes her sluuuurping.

“Well, I never! What do you think you are doing!” the tall man lorded over her, pulling the saucer from her grasp. “Tea is a sacred ritual! No Noble in their right mind would allow such indignity, such barbaric slurping. Crude! Primitive! You are a disgrace to all that is tea!” he flips his head up and to the side, his nose could not go higher in the air unless it left his face.

“Well, excuuuuuse me!” Lily stood up on her chair and flips off Lorenz with both of her teeny tiny hands. She pulls her gray cap forward on her forehead trying to give herself a much more menacing appearance. “Who appointed you as the Tea police? There is not one true way to drink tea in Fodlan, Mr. Bossyface!”

“Proper etiquette at teatime is a hallmark of quality breeding. Something of which I do not believe you will ever be able to comprehend, being a lowly commoner such as yourself.”

Raphael looks at them both, not really knowing why Lorenz was so angry over Lily drinking tea however she likes, and why Lily was being upset when Lorenz was being Lorenz.

If Lily could let steam come out of her ears, it would be whistling like an overboiled kettle. The tiny girl leaps at the lanky student, grabbing onto the front of his uniform, clawing and pawing her way up his chest to his epaulets, grasping them firmly in both hands so that she could look him straight in the face, while she plants her feet firmly in the center of his chest. Her nose barely a millimeter away from his as she venomously seethes at her fellow Golden Deer. “Breeding! You take me for a goat or a cow? You call yourself a noble, but you are more full of bull than any steer in the pasture!” she screeches, even though it sounds more like squeaked because her voice was extremely high pitched by this time.

“Call me a cow, will you!” at that she slung her head over her right arm, bit off his rose from his lapel and starts chewing on it like a heifer chewing her cud.

Lorenz stood there frozen in time, not certain what to do, just as Raphael’s huge arm slung around the girls waist, hauling her off of Lorenz and around the corner of the building they were stationed.

“Tea time’s over.” Announces Raphael, “Looks like we have to get back to training. Uh, later Lorenz.” The big guy kept going, all the while wrestling the girl who was wiggling and clawing to get away like a cat held over a bathtub.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One week later, early in the morning Sylvain knocks on Lorenz’ door. “I think your girlfriend is out here.”   
> The redhead ran downstairs to say hello & can't wait for Lorenz to see.
> 
> There, just outside of the student dormitory, was a cow. Painted on its side was:   
> I am No Bull Noble. Date me Lorenz


	3. First Battles, First problems

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Golden Deer start to get to know each other. With the First real battle comes First Blood. Lily is there for the team, however someone notices some strange goings on.

Class for the Golden Deer is a special kind of crazy. So many different personalities kept in the same room, led by someone that is trying to figure out exactly what they are supposed to be doing spells out the word disaster. For some reason knowledge starts to flow into the heads of the students despite their complaints, their boredom, and their disinterest.

The rivalry battle was educational even if the tiny troublemaker had to sit out. Lily spent the entire time at the top of a tree, watching the interactions between the students unfold from her vantage point. Certainly, the leaders of the three houses were quite effective in their moves, however she could easily tell some students were not at all thrilled with fighting as a whole.

The professor encourages everyone of course, it was mesmerizing watching her adjust to the battle conditions, changing strategies, moving her students around like pieces on a chess board. The deer had won the conflict and Claude calls for a celebration. Lily enjoys the party, but lurking in the back of her mind are uneasy thoughts that this is going to get a whole hell of a lot more difficult as training and learning continues.

Those dark thoughts came forth as it was announced to the class that they would be tasked with going to the Red Canyon.

Lily had stocks up on potions, bandages and the like until her backpack could hold no more, every pocket was bursting with something to help. When she was not praying or in classes, she was studying healing magic, anatomy, working in the infirmary under the guidance of Professor Manuela.

The Deer head out for the encounter, walking along the roads and paths, chatting nervously amongst themselves. This was their first real encounter, using real weapons and real opponents. Real blood. Real death. Professor Byleth was constantly scanning the surroundings, watching for anyone approaching. Lily could see that Claude is also aware of their surroundings as well as he is studying the professor. Lily could observe this because she was not looking at legs and feet, she is sitting on Raphael’s left shoulder. If they wait for her to walk alongside everyone, they would have taken 3 days longer. Raphael assures her that she was no burden, he relates it to training, carrying more weight to build strength, so she happily had forgone walking.

As they see the Red Canyon come into view, the team slows, moving as quietly as possible. The Professor splits them into 2 groups, Lily-healer, Ignatz-archer, Raphael-brawler, and Leonie-sword and bow. goes to the front with a sword. The rest took another path with the Professor, all agreeing that they would not die before regrouping. The last two will be in the lead of the group.

Lily stands low on the ground, keeping to Ignaz’ right. Leonie and Raph move forward to engage with two bandits, exchanging blows and cursing. Lily couldn’t see to the right but knew the Professor’s team is engaged in battle as well, hearing Lysithia’s magic cause a thief to gurgle and then go silent.

Leonie leads the way uphill running to engage another thief. Ignatz pauses as he walks past a dead man, he groans as his shoulders sag. Lily pats his side, “Come on. It’s us or them.” They move up and to the left, Lily hides in some bushes and scrub watching as Raphael pounds a thief in the face, there is an audible snap as bone breaks and the thief stops fighting.

Ignatz watches as two more come into view quickly approaching his friend thus a volley of arrows are loosed upon the intruders. “I got one!” he gasps. The look on his face is first surprise, then sadness.

Lily hears a twig break to her left, her eyes going wide as a man was creeping up on Ignatz. He was too close to shoot with a bow. She ran behind spectacled the boy, getting on all fours, gaining speed as she leaps up onto the chest of the thief, her paws hit him hard. She growls from deep inside her chest, her fur shifting from green to silver. Razor sharp teeth snap at his throat, ripping the mans flesh, causing blood to spurt from his neck with each failing beat of his heart. The momentum of hitting him in the chest causes him to fall back and she lands on top of him. He never knew what hit him.

Lily the wolf jumps off, she runs into a small thicket. She is still on four feet. She is dizzy and nauseous. Did that guy eat iron for lunch? She spat the blood and skin from her mouth. She wretches as she shrinks back to her normal form. She crawls through the thick grass toward where she started, her gray tunic and pants blending in with the rocks and grasses, making her way to her backpack. She vomits until she dry heaves. Grabbing her water skin she rinses her mouth and spits on the ground as she emerges from the bushes on Ignatz’ other side.

Lily gazes up at him, visibly shaking. “Whoever said battle is glorious is full of shit.” She murmurs. Ignatz has no idea what has just happened. He shakily mutters, “We best catchup.” Ignatz is pale, his lips quiver.

Lily runs toward the fighters in the front, jumping on Raphael to heal him, he’s taken a few hits to his side. One hand holding on, she has the other on his ribs knitting his skin together, leaving only a pink streak and the giant is ready for more.

Leonie is the next to take a hit, blood blooming on her blouse as life quickly flows from her body. Ignatz takes the thief down with an arrow as Lily pulls the redheads wound together with her hand, the light warm and soft around her hands putting Leonie back together. They regroup. The Professor finishes the last of the bandits as Lily joins Marianne in healing all of the wounded. There are no victory shouts. Claude looks at his team. “Good job, let’s make it back and rest.”

The trip back to the monastery is quiet. First blood has been taken. It doesn’t feel as glorious or rewarding as the tales of knights and chivalry make it out to be. Many of the classmates have a glazed look in their eyes as they stumble forward, guilt on their faces for taking the life of another. They will be back tomorrow afternoon. Lily asks Raph to carry her like a baby so that she can get some sleep as she’s volunteered for the first watch of the night.

The sun is at the horizon when they stop. Lily grabs Claude to go hunt for something to eat. They walk together to the edge of a wood. Lily points to the East, instructing Claude to shoot whatever jumps out. Lily then runs directly into the woods. Claude watches her as she runs into the trees, suddenly she disappears, gone in the shadows.

He waits for almost two minutes, suddenly a noise of a creature disturbing weeds to the East reveals a large brown rabbit. As it jumps out to the open Claude can easily takes it down. He nocks another arrow in time to get a second rabbit, next 2 pheasant and a fat squirrel.

After a few more minutes the small girl walks from the woods with a large bag full of something as she grins “Is that enough or should I scare up more grub?”

Claude nods, “I think we’ll be fine with this.” He retrieves his catch that was made in record time and they return to camp. Lily empties her bag of mushrooms, grasses, leaves and nuts.

A tasty rabbit and squirrel stew and roasted pheasant fills the stomachs of all in addition to the dried fruits & rations they had all brought.

Darkness falls, and with full stomachs many lay on their bedrolls thinking of the day, specifically the battle and the reality of what they have gone through crashes down. At least one person is softly sobbing.

Lily, the only one outside the tents knows what she needs to do. She begins to sing. At first it is just melody, no words, just the soothing sound of a lullaby. She then begins dancing, winding around the tents. Words now are added, words these children do not know, for it is in her native tongue. Words of songs thousands of years old, begging warriors to sleep. Urging restless hearts to calm, and to give the anxious reason to relax and let go. She dances around the tents, the song shared with all until she finds there is no movement in camp except for the flames of the campfire and herself. Lily then circles outside the camp, creating loops with magic to alert her of any intruders. She extends her circles to over 100 feet from the camp. She meditates by the fire, awaiting an intruder or the dawn, whichever approaches first.

Claude is the first to rise. He normally is first up at the monastery as well. The sky to the east is barely aglow with the golden light of dawn. He emerges from his tent to stand at his full height and stretches to get the blood flowing in his limbs.

“I think I hear Leonie stirring, she should be up soon, want to go to the hill?” the waifish woman points to a clearing that provides a great view of the sunrise. Claude nods as they both walk to the grassy area. Lily sits cross legged, silently giving her prayers to Mother Earth. Claude sits a few feet to her right deep in meditation.

Claude returns to camp, while Lily remains as the sun flows across the land bringing life and warmth. Lily practices balance and flexibility. Standing on her head, both hands, then a single hand. Grabbing her staff and adjusting her body to counter the weight. Balancing stones then on the stones. Reciting the ancient texts taught to her in worship. Mother Earth is the giver of all life. Everything must balance. Taking a life to preserve a life.

Lily heads back to the group, completing a few flips to work her legs. Breakfast is being prepared, Leonie has some smoked meat being warmed, bread and cheese are being prepared. Everyone looks to be well rested, even Marianne who always looks like she has a foot in the grave. Everyone eats, camp is dismantled, all is cleaned up. Lily personally makes sure there is not one spark or piece of warmth in the campfire ashes. The group makes it back to the monastery, the conversation much lighter today, all grateful they have each other to work with and had a successful mission. Professor Byleth and Claude are asked to report to Lady Rhea to give their statement regarding the mission.

The next day Lily is requested to stay after class by the professor. It had been a very informative class, going back over the battle, the techniques used by all of the students and the professor, how they could have done better, pointing out errors and mistakes made in the most constructive way possible, but still reminding the students that any mistake can result in death, something that they were trying to avoid at all costs.

Lily grabs her backpack and staff and jumps onto the Professor’s desk. That way she could at least try to speak with her eye to eye if the professor would be seated. Claude also stays behind and brought his chair up to sit to the left of Byleth.

“What’s up kids?” Lily laughs trying to keep the atmosphere light.

Claude and Byleth’s eyes met then they look back at the little female sitting cross-legged and trying to appear as innocent as possible.

“There was something that happened during the battle that we need to discuss.” Byleth’s face was blank, her voice monotone, not showing displeasure or approval. Claude, however had his brow furrowed a look of seriousness that wasn’t on his face before.

Lily took a deep breath. “Okay. I chose to be with the Golden Deer because I am different. I knew that this was a different group. Led by the most different Professor and House leader here. I was hoping to fit in. I still hope I do. “

Lily watches as they both still stare at her apprehensively. Lily continues “Professor, you are unlike any person, any human I have ever met. You display few emotions. You are the Ashen Demon, and I have heard the stories from mercenaries, citing unusual reactions and actions in battle. I see you at work, your teaching processes are unlike any I have seen. They are strange yet effective. There are things I want to discuss with you now that we have built up some trust between us.”

“Claude, you are not from here. I know the professor knows some of this. You live like a hunted animal. Constant fear of pursuit and the unknown dangers that are near. Others see that you are a schemer, I see you are protecting yourself. You refuse to allow yourself relax, because that is when they will attack. You live behind a shadow of your visual self. I can share further observations but there are things that I am not sure the other of you knows. I am grateful for this conversation so that I don’t have to share it twice. “

Lily looks at the door of the classroom. She casts a minor wind spell to make certain it is closed all the way, then a light emerges from her fingers shooting to the doors, creating a soft glow between the doors. She returns her attention back to the two with her.

“Different is not acceptable in this land. I have been attacked, threatened, chased, hunted, tortured, caged, imprisoned. All of it. I came here to learn. As I learn, now I know I must help. If we can understand our differences, we can work together. Please, ask your questions.“ Lily sits cross legged facing the two of them. Her hands are open palmed on her knees. She tries to provide as open and honest of an expression as possible.

“Someone saw something during the battle at the Red Canyon. Tell us everything that happened with you and Ignatz.” Claude sat in his chair; his hands were blocking his mouth. His voice sounded commanding, demanding and firm.

Lily pulled off her skullcap. She then loosened the long yellow-green braid that circled around her head. Her pointed ears felt cool air on them now that they were free to stick out. She opened her eyes wide as she explains. “I am fae. I am of the fairy folk. I come from a land far from here. You only know of us from folklore. My kind had lived all over Fodlan, but they were hunted and wiped out.” Lily could not stop the tears from falling as she spoke.

Byleth pulls an embroidered handkerchief from her pocket. Lily thanks her and dries her eyes. “We are of magic. As you know I have healing powers. We can also create magic by singing. We are part of Mother Earth. Mother Earth gives us all and shares with us. We have schools, but not like this. I do not understand this Church, it all confuses me. “

Lily takes a deep shaky breath, “When we were at the Canyon, Ignatz and I were in the back of the party. Just as he was shooting an arrow at an opponent, a bandit appeared so close to him I knew he could not defend himself. I reacted the only way I knew how. I shifted into a wolf. Mother Earth shares with us the ability to be one with her creatures. The wolf is strong and fast, I was able to leap at the attacker to save Ignatz from harm. I saw the man reaching for his sword. I had to take him out. I bit him. I bit him in his throat and he was dead.” Lily hangs her head and tears fall again. “Battle is filled with smells. Metal and blood and death. His blood was awful, it tasted like metal, I thought it was killing me from the inside and I had to wretch. Is that what you wanted to know?” Lily gasps for breath as she finishes her story with a sob.

“Wait, so YOU were the wolf? I saw a creature the color of your hair standing on a bandit…” Claude murmurs as he pieced together what he saw with what Lily had confessed.

Byleth spoke up, “So when you sang the night after the battle, were you casting spells? “

Lily nods. “This was the first time several of our team had ever killed. Their eyes were dull, they were in shock. I did not want anyone waking with screams of nightmares reliving what had transpired that day. I gave all a restful quiet sleep. Marianne had not slept in days. That girl has something going on.”

Claude nods in agreement. “That was thoughtful. But were we in danger? What if someone had attacked?”

Lily furrows her eyebrows and put her hands on her hips. “I said I gave you a restful sleep. Not put you in a coma!”

“OK, Okay.” Claude backpedals holding his hands up calling a truce.

Lily pulled up her backpack into her lap. “Claude, you deal in secrets. You better be giving out some of yours when we talk because I am spilling a bucketful of mine. “

Lily pulls out a small bag. She set the contents onto the desk. A small bottle of clear liquid, cotton, gauze, strips of thick cloth, 2 small shallow pots filled with brown sticky goop, one thicker than the next. And a knife made of glass.

Claude raised an eyebrow, however Byleth stares blankly as usual.

“This is why I refuse to go to the training grounds. Byleth, you have a steel dagger, please take it out and unsheathe it. “ Lily requests.

Byleth took the dagger from her belt. She held it in her right hand, parallel with the desk as she looks back at Lily. Claude sat, looking between them quite confused.

“While you simply are cut by iron weapons, it is a bit more dire for fairy folk.” Lily said quickly.

Before either could move, she pulls up her right leg of her trousers, and pushes Byleth’s hand down that was holding the dagger. The tip of the dagger connects with Lily’s skin at the back of her calf. The flat of the blade makes a sizzling sound and Byleth jerks her hand up. Where the blade touched was dark black and looked like hot wet tar, the skin around immediately turns a fiery red and it began to swell.

Lily did not cry out at the touch, but tears involuntarily roll down her cheeks. She took the glass knife and scrapes off the black goo. The skin was gone and it had dug into her flesh. She removes all of the ruined area until the flesh was red and clear. Wiping her knife on the gauze, she opens the bottle of alcohol and rinses the wound, then the knife. It no longer looks as if it were festering and was not nearly as red. She then removes the lid from of one of the pots and spreads the thinner sticky fluid on the wound. She opens the second pot, putting the stickier liquid on each end of a strip of thick cloth that then covers the wound.

“What did we just see?” Claude murmurs. He was visibly shaken.

“Wee folk can’t tolerate iron. If it comes in contact with us, it is like poison. If we can’t get the poison out, it will eventually kill us. So being in the training room with shards of metal from broken blades imbedded into everything, walking on the floor where hundreds and hundreds of blades have been sharpened only to leave tiny metal filings on the floor is like walking across poisonous fire. I’m not going in there. “

Lily falls forward, her hands in her face. “Please tell me I have not made the biggest mistake of my life in telling you how to kill me in the easiest way possible. I need your help. I need to be here and will do all I can help you.”

Byleth scoops Lily up to hug her like she would a small child. “I will protect you Lily, I promise.”

Claude reaches over and pats Lily on the back in agreement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fairy folk are very interesting. Finally after getting the basics of her abilities out, I hope to further explore Lily's interactions with the folk at the monastery. This was a bit down in feelings as to how I wish to write. I much prefer happiness and fluff and stuff. But we are at war, and sometimes life sux. Hope you enjoy this.


	4. Tea time with Teach

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lily has tea and cream with Professor Byleth. Teach wants to know more about fairies. Lily wants to know why she knows there are 3 people in the room, but she can only see two of them.

After class Lily has the privilege of having tea with the Professor. This is a highly valued, special, and private time. She is part of the _chosen_. Well. Isn’t she just hot stuff?

Lorenz walks past going the opposite direction, the wee fae hefts her nose high in the air, she could not be bothered with a mere Noble walking past, she was one of the _Chooooozen_ today.

The petite pixie runs to her mushroom covered house behind the greenhouse. Donning a fresh tunic and fixing her leaf green braid around her head, she is presentable. Pinching her cheeks to make them really rosy, Lily knocks on the Professor’s door and is invited in for the superspecialawesome thing that is Tea.

“Four Spice blend?” the teacher asks.

“Absolutely!” the tiny fairy chimes back, jumping onto the chair then setting herself upon the 4 thick books that are stacked so she is able to sit high enough to try to look the Professor in the eye.

The teacher pours them both the hot steaming brown liquid. The strong smells of cinnamon and peppers fill Lily’s nose as she hangs her head over the cup to breathe of the glorious fluid.

“Cream?”

“Oh Yes!” Lily coughs eagerly and shakes her head way too enthusiastically, getting restless in her seat. “And honey!”

Lily stirs her tea as Byleth tends her own. “I don’t like loose sugar much. Cubes I suppose are okay, but loose sugar is something, it just, doesn’t agree with me. “

“I mean, I can have sugar. I certainly have it in cooked goods and such. I just have a problem with the, um, graininess. Same goes for salt. I don’t like sugar bowls or salt shakers. Isn’t that weird?” Lily nervously is wringing her hands and her voice shakes a bit as she is saying this. Her eyes are flitting around the room, definitely not looking Byleth in the eye.

The professor touches her index finger to her chin. “You know, I can recall recently that Seteth had asked me something about this. He said that all of the salt shakers had gone missing from the dining hall. “

Lily wrings her hands furiously. “Oh…really? I..uh…wonder what that…uh..was about?” She quickly grabs her cup and pours a bit of tea into her saucer and blows on it. She started slurping her tea loudly. The spice and delicious cream were soooo good together. It was going so great.

Byleth changes the subject. “So, you are a fairy, right? What can you tell me about them? You’re the only one I’ve met.”

Lily explains. “Fae are not only fairies, but elves, brownies, and nymphs. We don’t all do the same things. Everyone has their specialty mother always said. We are all special in our own way. Different is good too. Like Felix and his sword, Dimitri and lances, Marianne’s healing magic, Claude and his bows. Most of the Fair folk have wings. They said I am cursed to be land bound and can never fly. They would fly off and I would have to chase them. It taught me how to be faster on land. Also they are not as talented as I am with shapeshifting. My head is down here, not always up in the clouds.“ Lily adds more cream to her tea.

“Recently we have had problems with our lands being under attack. They have increased greatly in the last 40 years. I work in a special group of our Council. We need to learn more about those that attack us. We know some are of man, some are...different. Several of us were sent out to scout, learn, and report back. I’ve been traveling for many years gathering information and learning. I found out about this place and know it will be invaluable to our cause. In exchange I will contribute however you see fit.

Byleth nodded, taking a sip of her tea, urging Lily to continue.

“Singing and dancing is part of our magic that goes back through the millennia. When we were camping after the battle, I could see the pain in the student’s eyes. This was their first battle ever for some. They had never really intentionally hurt anyone, and now they had to deal with killing another. I sang and danced that night to help them all. Did you sleep well that night? Did you have nightmares?”

The professor thought a moment. “No. I woke up feeling better than I had in a while. Very refreshed. “

Lily nodded. “I saw several that were about to begin crying themselves to sleep that night. I had to ease their pain. We are good with sleep magic. Your magic and ours have many of the same spells. We have 2 types of fairies, light and dark. I am of light. I draw my spells from light magic, Mother Earth’s blessings and her Sun. “She pulls a small bottle out of her pocket. She lifts the stopper out and there is a stick with a loop on the end that was sunk into the liquid in the bottle. Lily blows and a bubble forms to the size of an apple. She whispers into the bubble and it lights up with a soft purple glow. She puts the bubble close to the wall and it sticks to the wall as she takes her hand away. Lily blows another bubble, this one is pink. She flicks her hand and the bubble flies off the wand and goes to the wall behind the professor and sticks. After creating 6 glowing bubbles, the light in the room is much brighter and feels warmer, especially since the sun has set.

“Call on me if you need to sleep. I will help you any time.” Lily pours herself a half cup of tea, then fills the rest of the cup with cream.

Byleth nods. “Are there any questions you have for me?”

Lily nods. “Why do you always have someone with you? Where is she? Sometimes I see you talking to someone, but I never see them. I mean like right now. I know there are 3 people in the room, but I only see two.”

Byleth’s eyes get wide for a second, then she refocuses her face to her emotionless mask. “I don’t know what you mean.”

The fairy nods. “We fae, see a bit differently than man. I can see that Rhea, Seteth, and Flayne are different from everyone here. Claude, Petra and Dedue have a bit of a different look to them, they are not from around here, but still man. You are different from all of them.”

Lily quickly downs her cream with tea. “I see you are not alone. I can’t pinpoint it. It is what I see.” Lily shrugs.

Byleth stares at Lily, mostly because she is being yelled at by Sothis who is pressing every panic button that Byleth owns. Although her face is blank and shows no emotion, internally her brain is churning trying to understand how this little person can see right through her!

Lily shifts in her seat. Why is her teacher just sitting there? Is she arguing with the one she can’t see? Lily chugs her cream with tea, feeling really warm and comfy in her stomach now. So yummy. She has a dreamy grin on her face and is feeling really warm.

The Professor realizes she has not responded in a bit. She sits upright, deciding on a change of subject. “Do you have hobbies?”

Lily hiccups, “I’m parched, can I have more cream, uh, I mean tea?”

Byleth is happy to pour another cup for Lily and warms her own tea a bit.

Lily absentmindedly takes a sip of her tea, her mouth was dry after talking so long. She frowns. This tastes like tea. Oh yes, that is just tea. She grabs the creamer and starts drinking straight from the container. Feels so warm in her tummy and makes her feel calm. Lily shakes her head, her long braid flailing behind her head, the dizziness fills her head. Mmmmmm. The cream was good, tasty, intoxicating. It numbed her brain, making her feel really warm and good

“I love flowers, plants, animals, weather, the outdoors. I grow plants to help others. I also sew and knit and do needlework.”

Byleth nods, “Gardening is so rewarding, eating what you’ve grown. Maybe you would like fishing, it is relaxing to sit by the pond and enjoy the peacefulness.” They both sit quietly sipping their drinks.

Lily looks out of one eye at the Professor, because now that she’s had even more cream, there are too many professors when she looks with two eyes. “Well let’s lighten the mood eh? Got a good drinking song?” Before any answer is given, the drunken little fairy scrambles down and breaks into song:

_“Oh Bring us in no beef, for there is many bones._

_But bring us in good ale, for that goeth down at once;_

_And bring us in good ale, good ale, and bring us in good ale,_

_For our blessed Lady’s sake, bring us in good ale!_

_Bring us in no bacon, for that is passing fat_

_But bring us in good ale, and give us enough of that;_

_And bring us in good ale, good ale, and bring us in good ale,_

_For our blessed Lady’s sake, bring us in good ale!”_

Lily finishes with a spin, and falls forward, pretends it is a bow and bids her teacher good night. She runs out the door starting her first of many chorus’ of “What can you do with a drunken sailor.” as she wanders the monastery in search of trouble, mischief, and fun.


	5. A Really Good Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lily deserves a Really Good Day  
> aka What can you do with a drunken Fairy?

Lily knew this was going to be an awesome day. After being tortured all week having to sit in boring classes, lectures, and then completing homework, today was finally a day off. The petite student stood barely at 3 foot tall, dressed in her gray hat, tunic, shorts and tights. It was midafternoon as the tiny student slowly meanders about the grounds of the Monastery. She strolls past the Gazebo and over to the garden area where many students took their meals outside. Her eyes recognize something out of place. What is this? Someone has carelessly forgotten their tea set. One teapot, 2 cups, a small saucer with several sugar cubes and a small decanter of cream…cream? A gift from above was left for her! Yep, a really awesome day! Such a beautiful present. Tasty, tasty intoxicating and delicious. The most irresistible present, all for her.

  
One empty cream decanter later, Lily is so freaking ready to seize the day. She certainly has more skip in her step, albeit a bit wobbly skip. “Squirrel time!” she announces to nobody but herself. A moment later, an energetic red squirrel is scampering between the buildings, heading towards the stables. A young beagle napping just outside of Dorte’s stall rests easily until it felt a rogue critter jumping on its belly like a trampoline. The beagle awakens and howls, it’s tail wagging furiously, the white tip of its tail waving a flag to rile up the troops as it scampers after the guilty party. The hunt was on! The bushytail briskly zooms toward the front gate, rousing 2 other dogs to join in the chase. The first beagle is howling and signaling that there is prey to be caught and begs all canines within earshot to chase the evil four-legged brushbutted demon.  
Lily the squirrel decides it is a great idea to say hello to the gatekeeper as she rounds the corner. She jumps up his side, kicks up the wall, lands on his left arm then up to his shoulder as she chitters at him happily. Just as he looks over at her, the growing pack of dogs comes around the corner.  
The lively viviparous quadruped launches herself off of him as if shot from a cannon. Airborne for a short while she alights in the center of the marketplace, landing on a shopper who shrieks, causing a lady to lose her sack of potatoes all over the ground. Scrambling left and right through the multitude of legs and spuds, the bushy tail finds her goal just ahead. The front gate beckons.  
Six dogs of varying sizes and breeds are barking and howling, chasing the furry red terror across the front of the building. The gatekeeper shook his head, wondered what exactly just happened and who could have caused the disaster that was laid out before him. The canines descend upon the small crowd in the marketplace, upsetting boxes of vegetables whilst knocking over a toddler who begins to wail.  
Lily quickly climbs up on the back of a wagon stacked high with boxes, chittering at the dogs as if to scold them for their misbehavior. One such dog is up against the wagon, barking and snapping. She turns, protrudes her posterior and waggles her tail in its general direction before leaping off and heading to the right towards the trees. Two dogs give chase, sending her scrambling twenty feet up a tree. Easily leaving the pack of hounds she springs from tree to tree until she is over the wall and back inside the confines of Garreg Mach.  
Leisurely bouncing along the top of the wall, she spies the fishing pond. She chittered with disappointment, the professor was nowhere in sight. She leaps off the wall close to the greenhouse. Lily decides to be herself again as she runs up the stairs to the student residences.  
The grassy area up the stairs is a great place to burn off some energy. She tumbles across the grass, rolling then spinning twirling and jumping. She reaches the end of the grassy patch, then cartwheels the entire length back until she’s dizzy. Stopping to catch her breath, she clambers onto a bench, hanging her head off the end so she could look at the world upside down. After her heart slows and breathing is more steady she notices it is way too quiet. She starts singing nonsensical songs about cats and silverware and cows that could jump incredibly high. A few songs later, ending with one about pancakes stacked as high as the moon, she is overcome by a fit of the giggles. She falls to the ground laughing at the silly thoughts that ramble through the minds of anyone as pixilated such as she. Just as Lily stood up, ready to cause the next batch of mischief, she notes movement out of the corner of her eye. Approaching the student residences, Dimitri was innocently headed in the direction of his quarters.

  
The tiny bundle of energy runs across the grass towards her fellow unsuspecting student. Flinging her hands in the air she hops and performs a triple front handspring while calling his name, “Di…..Mi….Tri!” with each flip. She finishes as she runs and jumps at him landing in the middle of his chest, throwing her arms around his neck so she doesn’t fall back to the ground. “How’s it going?” she asks breathlessly while looking into his eyes and grinning from ear to ear.  
The reserved leader of the blue lions is shocked to suddenly find Lily looking him squarely in the eyes. “Good afternoon. My day has been pleasant. It appears yours is rather boisterous at the moment.” He warily replies. Instinctively he puts his arm up behind her back as she doesn’t look very steady.  
She notices his arm back behind her and she lays back on it, with her arms outstretched down towards the ground and legs dangling on the other side of his forearm. She’s draped herself backwards on his arm like a towel. Pure confusion comes across the blonde student’s face. What exactly is going on he wonders?  
“Grab my feet and swing me around!” she laughs. “Come on, don’t be a fuddy duddy! I bet you could sling me a good 50 feet if you got a good enough spin on it!”  
“I.. uh.. but, wait!” he spies a flash of yellow emerging from a door. “Claude! I believe this is yours!” he says as he grabs Lily’s feet, which is a really good idea because now that she knows she’s been caught she tries to struggle and get away. Dimitri holds her out towards the leader of the Golden Deer as if she were a flailing fish, his hand around her ankles not unlike holding the fish’s tail. She bends upward, her hands going up to her feet. She grabs at his fingers holding her at the ankles and tries to peel herself loose as she grunts and squeals.  
Claude runs up, a brief frown flashes across his face, then he recovers to his usual smile as he reaches out and grabs the troublemaker around the waist and tosses her in the crook of one arm while shoving his hand over her mouth, just in time to prevent a blue streak of words that are not becoming of a lady, perhaps not even becoming a sailor.  
“Thanks Dimi”, he says as he glares down at his detainee sternly and whispers “Tell me where you got it and what you’ve done or I will let Seteth lecture you for 3 hours straight about the proper behavior of students at Garreg Mach. “

  
“You wouldn’t do that, would you?” she looks up at him with big puppy dog eyes and kisses him on the side of his chin. “I was just getting started!”  
“Last time you were up on the roof throwing things at everyone for several hours before you fell off.” He chastises her. “At least Raphael caught you before you fractured your skull.”  
“Everything was okay. It turned out alright. “She snuggles into his arm, she likes the feeling of his chest vibrating as he talks. “I just wanted to have some fun” she coos.  
“There is fun, then there is disaster!” Green eyes look down sternly at the golden eyed bundle in his arms, poking at her nose. “You are going to have to pay for everything you’ve broken you know.”  
“How do you know I’ve broken anything? Dimitri was fine, and the buildings are still standing and I don’t remember setting anything on fire so..”  
“Hush” He decides Hilda needs to be drafted in this and heads to her room. Not daring to loosen his grip, he softly bangs the door with his boot.  
“Hey Claude, what’s up?” She cheerfully chirps as she opens the door. Suddenly her shoulders sag as she hrumpfs. “Not again! At this rate we will all be drinking black tea for the rest of the school year.”  
“I just need you to help me get her to sleep this off, then I have to find out what happened. She can’t stay in my room, you know that.” He recalls coming back to his room the last time this happened, finding 7 or 8 empty bottles from his secret projects laying scattered around the room. Luckily she just slept through it all and they did not have to get Manuela involved.  
Hilda draws the curtains tight, blocking out all outside light. She slowly moves about her room, putting out candles one by one. She starts humming a lullaby as she takes Lily into her arms. Lily’s eyes roll around in her head, caught in the pink haired girls spell. A few minutes more and a loud snoring can be heard from the room.


	6. Peaches and Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sylvain has a bad day. Lily just wants him to get a good nights sleep and feel better.

Sylvain had a hard night. Two lovely ladies shot him down in town and after he arrived back at the monastery grounds, well before curfew, which is usually unheard of for him, Felix tears him a new one as he popped his head in at the training grounds. Apparently Felix was in one of his particularly foul moods and did nothing but berate the red-head, verbally slicing and dicing with his double edged razor sharp tongue.

Three strikes and you’re out. Before things can get worse, he drags his weary head to bed. Tomorrow will be a better day. He kicks off his boots, hastily changes his clothes and flops in bed on his back with both hands tucked in behind his head. He must be really tired as he immediately fell asleep.

Creeping under his door as silent as a mouse is, well, a mouse. The mouse saw that the room was dark, candles are out and it is quiet except for Sylvain’s heavy breathing. She meanders rather wobbly to the bed where she grabs the bedcover just above the floor. After a few uncoordinated jumps (being a mouse is harder than she thought) she clambers up the bedcover, onto the bed with the giant Cavalier.

“I’m glad he doesn’t sleep with his horse, the bed is too small” snorted Lily. She laughs and her voice squeaks and she laughs again because it sounds funny. It’s hilarious and she laughs some more because she suddenly remembers she is a mouse, a very tipsy mouse. Serves them right for hiding the cream again she thinks. No locked door is going to stop her from her evening of fun.

She pulls herself together as well as a slightly sloshed fairy could, sitting at the top of the bed above Sylvain’s pillow where his soft ginger hair curls in front of her like a fluffy pillow. She is in the mood for a good time. It’s fortuitous that she sees him walking in the corridors, it took her a while to catch up. For every step of a full size human, a mouse had to take…ugh, math...it was making her brain hurt…a lot. Now that she is safely in his room, she shifts to her normal self. She makes herself comfy at the top of the bed on the other side of Sylvain’s pillow. Reaching to each side of his head, entangling her fingers in his soft fiery hair, she begins to weave her spell of pleasant dreams. She then drifts off to join him.

Sylvain is walking in a grove. The sun is shining warmly, a sweet smelling breeze tells of the flowers blooming in the rows of trees he is surrounded by. He realizes he isn’t in his armor, he’s wearing his school uniform. He can’t quite recognize where he is? He doesn’t frequent orchards much. He doesn’t recall having any at home and there were none at the Monastery that he is aware.

As he muses, he hears singing. The song seems to be calling him, leading him in a westward direction. He weaves around the trees. They are hard to see through as they are fully loaded with slightly pink blooms and tiny green leaves. He ducks under a branch and sees Lily just ahead, waving her hands in circles as she sings, twirling left and right, waving to the trees. She is wearing a fluffy white dress, her hair is down and light green? Has he seen her hair before? Long and wavy, her hair circles around her like and umbrella as she spins and dances, singing words in a language he does not understand.

“You called?” He smiles widely, truly. He squats down to see her eye to eye.

“Yes! Thank you for coming to help.” She turns slowly to face him. Her large golden eyes sparkle in the sunlight and seem to spin as they fixate on him. “Do you like peaches?”

His right eyebrow pulls down as he thinks. “Peaches are fine. They make a wonderful dessert for sharing with a beautiful woman.” He confesses.

Lily offers the man a large ripe peach. “Peaches are the beautiful women of the fruit world. They are soft and sweet. The best ones have a lovely rosy blush on their cheek. A bit of fuzz to add to their softness. When perfectly ripe, there is no fruit more delicious than a peach. It must be handled gently, softly. Grasp it too firmly and it will bruise. Use just the right touch and it will be yours.” She twists the peach in half, reaching up for him to take his portion of the perfectly ripened fruit.

“Breathe deeply, take in the sweet aroma. Already your mouth waters in anticipation of the taste. You take a bite, the juices overflow in your mouth and dribble down upon your chin. Mmmmm.” She hums then takes a bite, watching as he takes a bite as well.

He has never had anything so delicious. He wipes his face with the back of his hand and devours the remainder of his piece of fruit. Before he can speak again, Lily raises a small stave, he stares as mist and magic emits from the end as she swirls it around the both of them. He seems to be surrounded in a white fog. Odd he thinks as he looks around as if he is in a cloud. It makes him dizzy.

As the mist dissipates Sylvain feels hands firmly on his shoulders, steadying him as he overcomes a feeling of dizziness. He closes his eyes to steady himself. After a few moments he feels as if he can open them again. Looking around, things are out of proportion, foreign and strange. Large green blades seem to shoot from the ground all around him and…Lily?... Lily! She’s as tall as he is! What?! They are both dressed in black uniforms. He runs his hand across his chest, the material looks fuzzy, however it feels sort of sticky, but not a wet sticky. The cloth seems to grab things. “Whoa!” he gasps, feeling shocked and surprised and excited all at once.

“I knew you would help me. Come along!” She grabs his hand and her wings begin to beat. Where did she get those? Where did he get his? Wings? Freaky.

His brain fogs. He is tiny, she was tiny. Now she is tinier but as big as him? She has wings and she’s flying up to the tree. He has wings and she’s pulling him and now he is flying, being dragged by her up to the branches of the trees. What was in that peach?

She pulls him up, they fly over into the center of a peach blossom. They land and stand close to the center, surrounded by the petals. He has no idea how he wound up being less than an inch tall and Lily is now huge as she usually stands just up past his knees? This is totally weird. But fun! He relaxes and goes along with it all.

Lily stands to one side of these things in the middle of the flower. Yellow fuzzy things. Lily points and calls them Anthers. The Anthers are hanging heavy with pollen between two of them. “This is what we have to do.” Lily reaches forward, wrapping her arms around and gathering the anthers together, she gives them a big hug. Pollen falls around her shoulders, stomach and arms, pollen easily sticking to the dark clothes they both wear. She takes Sylvain’s hand, leads him over the edges of this blossom, flying him to the next flower. He stands opposite her, the anthers between them. She points with her left hand, it is his turn to give the middle of the flower a hug. He grabs the reed-like white supports of the huge bundles of pollen in front of him and gives them a squeeze. That felt pretty good. Hmm? Now he has a smattering of pollen as well. “Cool.” He laughs. “Now what?”

“Finish this branch, I will do a branch as well then we will meet up for more instructions.”

He nods, not really sure what is happening, but is eager to comply. About 30 flowers later, Lily meets him at the end of the branch.

Sylvain has no idea why but he feels really good about doing this. Every time he hugs the middle of a flower it feels so good and makes him happy. He’s got pollen all over the front of himself now, bits on his cheeks, pieces in his hair. It smells so wonderful and sweet. The strange golden deer girl in front of him has pollen scattered all over her body as well and a grin as big as his. Their cheeks flush as they look at each other.

Lily takes a piece of pollen from the flower they occupy. She pops it into her mouth. Sylvain does the same. It has a crunchy outside with a soft inside, like a small roll or crusted bread. It tastes sweet, a bit peach flavored. He nods and smiles.

“If you get thirsty, at the bottom of every flower is a tiny pool of nectar, you can either cup it and drink it from your hand or dip some pollen into it to make it really moist and eat it. What we are doing is pollenating the peaches. Pollen from one flower needs to be taken to another flower to impregnate the plant, causing a peach to form. “

Sylvain’s brow furrows and then the lightbulb goes off over his head. “This all makes sense now. Mostly. So we have to do this for all of these flowers on all of these trees? “ He looks slightly overwhelmed.

“You’ll get faster as you get the hang of it, and believe me, it will be worth it. You’ll see.” Lily grins at him and flies off to another branch, getting back to work at pollenating.

Sylvain finds he doesn’t have to land in a flower to hug the anthers thoroughly. He flits from flower to flower, hugging and exchanging pollen over and over. Every time he dips toward a flower the smell pulls him in, making him want more. He could not stop doing this right now if he tried. His breathing is becoming more rapid, his flying between flowers is absolutely direct. He doesn’t want to waste a half an instant of unnecessary movement to get to the next flower and cover himself and the heart of the flower with pollen. The flowers seem to know as well, he swears they are reaching towards him, caressing him as he trades pollen. He is gasping for breath and breathing heavier, finishing branch after branch. He makes his way up higher in the tree. He finishes a flower, starts to fly to the next. Suddenly a huge shiver runs up his spine! His wings shudder and flitter, his whole body is overwhelmed with pleasure. His wings quake violently, pollen is thrust from him, as if he is exploding, the cast-off landing on hundreds of flowers below. This must be nature’s way of ensuring that the ones missed still may have a chance at producing peaches. He lands on a flower, quickly catches his breath and tenderly pulls the stamens to him with a dreamy smile.

-X-

The dream fades from Lily’s view as she finds herself back on Sylvain’s pillow. He is sleeping peacefully with a grin going from ear to ear. Lily slowly leaves him to his dreaming. He will sleep deeply for another 6 hours or so. She bends over and kisses Sylvain’s forehead before she makes her way back downstairs and outside to her corner behind the greenhouse to sleep off the remaining tipsiness.

-X-

The next morning Lily is sitting with the Golden Deer in the dining hall, putting butter on her biscuit as Sylvain approaches with his breakfast tray in hand.

He feels great! He can’t believe how well he slept last night, better than he has in weeks, except for that really really weird dream he had. What was it about?

Sylvain glances at Lily just as she’s dropping a huge dollop of peach jam onto her muffin.

Sylvain unconsciously shivers, almost dropping his breakfast tray as he heads for the Blue Lions table.

**Author's Note:**

> My beginning. I hope you like it. Mostly I like to have fun, hopefully you do as well.


End file.
